All posts by Sara Pulver

I’m very excited to announce that the River City MRKT kiosk will be hosting a few of my goodies this upcoming weekend at Art Feast!

Amalia and Debbie have been so supportive of my work, and I am delighted to be showcased with such an amazing group of talented artists.

Art Feast is this Saturday, August 15 from 10:00AM – 6:00PM. The art fair will be open the entirety of the time, and from 1:00 – 4:00PM there will be a Food Truck Ralley! You can check out all the details on the Art Feast facebook event.

It finally happened. The boy and I took a vacation. It was the first time that we’ve truly “gotten away” since 2009 when we went to Boston! This Spring we packed our bags and headed out to a place we have both always wanted to visit, New Orleans.

Nola was literally magical to me. To divulge a little bit about myself, I tend to romanticize everything that I haven’t experienced; places, jobs, travel, life experiences etc. Because of this terrible habit, when I visit different places, I can sometimes be let down as they don’t live up to this insane fantasy that I have in my head. New Orleans was everything I hoped it would be and more. The city was so incredibly beautiful. The homes, the small businesses, the people, the energy – everything had this warmth to it that I can’t explain.

We booked an apartment for the week through airbnb, which I highly recommend! The past few times we have traveled we used airbnb to find our accommodations, and have really enjoyed it! You get a completely different experience compared to staying in a hotel. We stayed in a lovely little neighborhood in the lower Garden District, just one block away from Magazine St. The location was perfect, and our little lavender and mint colored home was so lovely!

Our flight didn’t arrive til a little bit later in the evening, so our first night there we stayed fairly close to the apartment and wandered up and down Magazine St, checking out all the little shops. Then we stopped for dinner at a little restaurant called Maya’s: Nuevo Latino that totally rocked my world. The food was creative and delicious, and the mojitos were on point.

The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at this super cute little coffee shop, then headed into the Garden District for a tour. If you are traveling and want to do something touristy on a hella small budget, I highly recommend Free Tours by Foot. They host very comprehensive walking tours that are 100% free, then at the end you pay what you think the tour was worth, or just what you can afford. Our guide was awesome and hilarious, and we found out a lot of things about New Orleans culture that I don’t think we would have discovered otherwise. Plus, when she wasn’t on the clock she was part of The Bearded Oysters krewe, so mad respect.

One of the reasons I have always wanted to go to New Orleans was Anne Rice, so it was pretty amazing to walk the aisles of Lafayette Cemetery, and finally see the house on First St. in all of it’s deliciously creepy glory. To round it out I picked up her newest novel, The Prince Lestat at the Garden District Bookstore. That’s the stuff dreams are made of, my friends.

Later that afternoon we checked out the Audubon Insectarium, which was ridiculously cool. Expect to see some more bug illustrations fueled from this particular adventure.

Over the next few days we explored the French Quarter, saw some insane live music, had beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Mond, went to the World War II museum, enjoyed holding baby gators at the Jean Laffite National Park, and had the best damn hot dog of my life.

I don’t think I have ever had a vacation that was as amazing as New Orleans! I seriously can’t wait to go back.

This is such an amazing opportunity, and I can’t wait for June 6! Make sure to check out the website, rivercitymrkt.com, to see all the other fantastic makers who will be showcased at this event. Hopefully I’ll see you all there!

For the last few months I have been on a wild hunt for a more appropriate paper to print my cards on. I am very pleased to say that I have found a match! All Dear Ollie greeting cards are now being printed on paper made by French Paper Co.

French Paper Co. is one of the last, small, independent paper mills in the United States, and it’s located right here in Michigan! When I came across their website I was so excited. Not only are they from the mitten state, but they are an environmentally conscious company and are powered by fully renewable hydroelectric generators.

I immediately called their customer service line, and next thing I knew they sent me a few samples, on the house! I choose the perfect weight and made a bulk order, which came in this insanely gorgeous box pictured above. I am proud to say that all Dear Ollie greeting cards are now being printed on heavy weight card stock from the Pop-Tone line, on a color so perfectly titled, “Sweet Tooth”. It all feels so fate-y to me.

Their paper is also part of some seriously cool projects, which you can check out on the French Paper Co. blog.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in an amazing program called The Creative Exchange. The brain child of Sam from Dunne With Style, the project is not only an incredible creative outlet, but a way to further connect to an amazing online community of artists!

Here’s the lowdown: Each person is partnered with another fellow creative and encouraged to secretly “stalk” them via instagram, their websites, blogs etc. After your investigation, you must put together a package of up to 8 items to inspire them to be creative. The entire time you do this, someone is doing the same for you! You are encouraged to share your exchange on social media with the hashtag #thecreativeexchange.

For my exchange, I was assigned the amazing Kathryn Godwin of Studio Cultivate. Kathryn is an awe-inspiring installation artist and stylist. After spending a ridiculous amount of time sifting through her online portfolio (seriously, you should check it out) I came up with a couple of ideas for her package. I wrapped everything up in Rifle Paper wrapping paper, because come on, it’s Rifle Paper. Even if I didn’t hit the nail on the head with my goodies, no one can resist those floral patterns.

A few days after I sent it out, I was thrilled to receive a beautiful package from the ever so sweet Gina Paola of Gina Paola Design. I was floored at the amount of thought and love that went into this box! As soon as I opened it, I was greeted by a dapper looking Wes Anderson, so I was sold right away.

I think I literally squealed out loud. What followed was a marvelous assortment of items that just filled me with the warm and fuzzies. Gina obviously did her homework. I’m sure you can spy all the ice cream paraphernalia right away!

I feel so lucky to have been connected to these two inspiring women, not too mention the many other who participated in this season’s Creative Exchange. I am anxiously looking forward to the next round!

I am so excited to share this little project! A couple of months ago I was approached by a dear old friend, (and bride-to-be!) to come up with a design for her bridesmaid cards. As soon as she told me her “pink lemonade” theme, I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

For projects like this, a lot of times I will illustrate each of the components separately, and then put them together in Photoshop after the fact. This allows me to change the message easily, and better customize the details.

I had a ton of fun working on these cards, and I’m so excited for the happy couple!

Last week the extremely talented Amanda of Cupcakes and Corsets approached me to see if I would be interested in putting together a layered look for ModCloth! Like she even had to ask. After we both put together our Polyvore boards I was not surprised to find we liked some of the same things!

I loved Amanda’s picks (above)! Here is what she has to say about her outfit:

I am normally a sucker for a printed dress but i love the simplicity of this green dress and adding lots of flair with the embellished cardigan fun boots and of course how can you resist this cute fox bag! My whole wardrobe consists of black,purple,green and floral print so instead of pairing this with navy or brown like others would i chose black. Its always classic. ModCloth has so many sweaters right now that I am dying over perfect for your layering look!

As for my choices, I will be the first to admit, this entire outfit was based on the Bea & Dot Ikebana skirt. I am in love with the colors and pattern! I chose a chunky cardigan and booties to balance out the ultra-feminine qualities in both the skit and ivory top. And of course, I couldn’t say no to these incredible Cicada earrings, y’all know my bug obsessions.

This was such a fun board to put together! Being in Michigan, layering is an essential component to Winter styles.

If you get a chance, be sure to check out Amanda’s amazing Etsy shop, The Fancy Lady Gourmet. Her cookies are works of art, and taste INCREDIBLE. Her designs are so unique, and the level of detail she uses just blows my mind. As you can probably guess, I’m head over heels for her adorable ice cream cookies!

Instead of running to the store to pick up your last minute Valentine’s, try printing them at home! In the spirit of love, I am happy to offer this ice-cream Valentine’s Day card as a free printable! Because, come on – you can’t have true love without honesty, and we all know who my ultimate special someone is.

This is an A2 size card, which means that when folded in half it measures 4.25 inches x 5.5 inches. Before printing, you can pick up some pre-cut A2 cards, from Staples, Michael’s, or if you are lucky enough to have your own local paper shop (swoon) I would try there first. Or if you don’t want to have 25+ blank cards on your hands, you can just make your own.

– Take any piece of plain white cardstock – I usually prefer about 80# – and cut a rectangle measuring 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches. If you have a paper cutter, I would recommend using that.

I will never forget sitting in my middle school English classroom the day we were told we would be getting pen pals from Germany. I couldn’t contain my excitement! I (me!) could send things to a complete stranger half way around the world. Later in my junior high career I would become equally excited about an assignment where we got write our favorite companies and brands with a review of their product. Thanks, Wet N’ Wild, for all the glitter eyeliner coupons you sent me in return. If it had a stamp on it, it was something for me to get excited about. And you should too.

1. Because your mother should have taught you to write thank you notes.

Thank you notes are so, so, so important. If you write one letter or note a year, let it be a thank you note. In today’s technology heavy world, receiving a thank you note is the most personal means of expressing your gratitude to someone. Thank you notes can make your career. Boom.

2. Because you will make someone’s day.

We all need a little more happiness in our lives, and opening your mailbox to see more than your health insurance bill is a fantastic way to do that.

3. Because you need another creative outlet.

Writing letters has become one of my favorite ways to express myself! It’s easy, it’s fluid, there is no right or wrong, and it is completely unintimidating. You choose your paper, your pen, the format in which you want to write – even make your own envelope. The possibilities are endless, and the best part is you can’t screw it up!

4. Because some schools have stopped teaching cursive.

I find this astonishing. Soon, people won’t know how to read our constitution. (I know it’s available online; don’t be a jerk.) In 2013 many schools across the United States elected to take cursive out of the curriculum, with the argument that once student’s learned cursive, they would literally never need to use it again. Writing in cursive develops hand-eye coordination skills and fine motor skills. Let’s not let it die.

5. Because you might get a letter back.

Last but not least, if you write a letter, you are likely to receive a letter back! Receiving something so personal, that someone took the time to write, and the thoughtfulness to put together is one of the best feelings in the world.

If you are interested in writing more letters, but don’t know where to start, there is a huge community out there of people who are looking to connect in the same way you are. On Instagram, check out the tags #snailmailrevolution and #penpalswanted for some amazing resources. I also recommend becoming a member of The Postal Society. They have a large forum where you can meet people to exchange letters with, and fun projects to participate in. If all of this sounds too committal – check out Post Crossing. For every postcard you send out, you receive another one from a random person around the globe – no long term relationship necessary.

I am so excited to announce that I have added custom envelope addressing to the Etsy shop!

I would love to do more personal work like this! Hand written calligraphy is a great way to personalize and add a little extra touch to invitations for weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, parties, and other events.

I have been working on some bridesmaid cards for a friend, and it would seem I have weddings on the brain. I can never resist a beautifully themed party! If you are interested in a custom project, never hesitate to ask!